New LPD to be mothballed

I hear that one of the LPD’s is to be mothballed or placed at significantly reduced readiness. Can anybody clarify the situation and the timeframe?

It seems odd to me to reduce the amphibious capability of the RN and the sceptic in me thinks that this measure is purely due to lack of funding from the treasury and manning reductions in the Service. As I understand it the longer-term plan is to re-instate the ship (and its capability) in a few years but this might be difficult; the men in the Ministry will have a very good case when they point out that the RN has managed with only one Albion Class C2 platform for some time and then ask the question 'why do we need 2 if you could do the job with 1'.

HMS Albion entered service in 2003 and HMS Bulwark was commissioned in April 2005 so both ships are new(ish). I wonder what the state of affairs will be when one has been cannibalised to keep the other in working order not to mention the skill fade of the specialist Assault Sqn and key planners.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Albion class here’s a link: http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.1811

 

As a member of one of those ships companies, I couldn't tell you i'm afraid.
Its not that I don't know, just that I can't say without breaking one or more of the site rules regarding security etc.

 

mmm thanks Lamri.

Sounds like my information isn't far from the truth then I hope you're in the picture and there's still a job available for you in the once great RN. Has there been a public announcement yet?

 

No I don't think that there has been a public announcement, which is why I can't say anything (But we are thinking of a new motto,"First to sail, first to go" :wink: )

 

Not 'mothballed'… the official term is 'extended readiness'.

 

You've got to love those official terms, but that's another thread all together :lol:

 

Getting enough youngsters into the Navy to man it couldn't have anything to do with it, could it? :?
RoofRat

 

So she really is going to be a replacement for Intrepid then - laid up in the dockyard and robbed for spares.

 

It's a shame to apply such an old script to this modern problem, but that's the general theme :roll: :roll:

 

There really is a lot of confusion amongst both crews at the moment though, we are both getting told conflicting stories by our respective "management".
(The old adage about mushrooms comes to mind)

 

I am not sure why this should come as a surprise. The RN operated for many years with only one operational LPD out of FEARLESS and INTREPID (often forced by defects) and they didn't have the equivalent of OCEAN then. With the recent re-roling of the ARK ROYAL and other available amphib assets this is perhaps not as big n issue as it might have been.

However, if true it again emphasises the short-termism which the RN has come to epitomise in the last generation. I wonder how long it will be before ALBION is offered for sale to Australia...........

 

The RAN wouldn't buy it mate, they know crap when they see it

 

Whilst I do not have a scooby about an answer to this particular question I did actually hear the buzz whilst ALBION was still in build, so it has been about for some time.

 

An interesting point by RoofRat regarding sufficient figures to man the ships. Whilst we're not exactly over-achieving in "getting them in & keeping them in" we're not doing too bad in most areas (except the usual), so they can't use that as an excuse for mothballing. The problem we have with recruiting is that there aren't enough places to offer recruits which means they have to wait to enter- up to 2 years in some cases. For your average teenager this is simply too long & we lose them by keeping them waiting.

 

Have we not been here before,may be it is a good time for the argies to invade again.what with our ships spread about the world or mothballed

 

Very good point there Yorkie.
Could we (as a Navy) go and do it again?
Personally I doubt it

 

I think we could

 

I doubt it , stretched now as it is . :cry:

 

maybe not the RN, but 3 cdo bde could

 

No we couldn't no fighters, except the ones on the Islands, we'd get well f**ked the next time round as they would arm the bombs properly!